Do you feel guilty if you don't work out?

Sorry to hear about your mom. That kind of news is always tough to take. You have my permission (random stranger on the Internet!) to take it easy for a few days. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of other people.

To go back to the question: I don't feel guilty if I miss a workout. But I feel like something is missing from the day. I enjoy the activities I do - cycling, running, and Nordic skiing (though not for much longer this season), so if I don't do them, I often feel restless or listless. That said, I schedule in one or two rest days a week, when I don't do more than a leisurely walk or some upper body strength training, to let my leg muscles recover.

I've been doing endurance exercise long enough to have learned that sometimes you have to take time off to progress--whether it's due to injury, overtraining, or major life events. When my dad died, I had so much on my plate that my exercise slid off; keeping up with work and family responsibilities took priority. After a few weeks, I realized that I missed working out and that I handled other things better when I did at least a basic workout, but I didn't begrudge myself the recovery time.

:flowerforyou: Be kind to yourself, you're in a stressful, emotional situation right now. It's okay to feel guilty about missing a workout as far as knowing you need to keep yourself healthy, but it's not that big of a deal. Try to plan a half hour that you can sneak in a walk or some yoga. They'll help you reduce your stress and can be done almost anywhere.

I feel guilty about not working out when I just skip it for no good reason, but when you really can't because of life situations happening that aren't under your control there's nothing to feel guilty about.

I don't use the scale except once a month. I keep track of all my calories in and out and do my best to make sure I'm at my needed deficit to loose half a pound a week. Weighing everyday is kinda pointless, it fluctuates too much and isn't really indicative of whether you're loosing weight. Measuring and tracking inches, as well as fit of clothing are much better indicators.

Take care of yourself first so you can take care of everyone else.:flowerforyou:

Not really but I do get very antsy.

I do and I usually beat myself up about it too. But I have to remember that part of being healthy is giving my body a break too to recover properly.

I used to feel guilty before I discovered MFP. But now if I miss a day working out, I just make sure I stay under my calories for the day and I don't feel guilty at all! Sometimes it's actually refreshing to take a day off. But yeah, in the past I did feel extremely guilty for taking days off.

It sounds like you've needed this extra time to recover from all the stress you're under. Try not to beat yourself up about it, because that's only going to increase your stress levels. You can only do so much.

Due to life smacking me in the face, I haven't worked out in 3 weeks.

Guilt is an energy sucker. Now you need rest, so you can be strong for your mom. When you get a chance for yourself, do something that will give you joy. Sorry about your mom, sending you a hug.

+1

& guilt is a symptom of depression. You had a lot on your plate even before your Mum's diagnosis. Perhaps you were stressed or feeling low before & are using the exercise as a form of escapism, yes of course it's good for you too though. I obviously haven't a clue as I don't know you, but I know about using things as a form of escape & guilt.

Please don't be so hard on yourself.